PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 20 (UPI) -- An explosion struck two U.S. Consulate vehicles Friday in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing one person, believed to be a local citizen, authorities said.
Seven others, including two Americans, were injured in the blast on the city's Abdarra Road, the Express Tribune reported.
The report quoted officials as saying the injuries were not serious.
The identity of the person killed in the blast was not immediately known. The victim was believed to be a passerby, the Press Trust of India reported.
The vehicles were both reported to be bullet-proof. One of the them rammed into a utility pole after the blast, authorities said.
The Tribune said initial reports indicated the explosion was set off by a remote-controlled device in an area with many offices and where many diplomats live.
Witnesses told the Dawn newspaper the explosion caused a 4-foot deep crater.
There has been an escalation of violence in Pakistan, especially in the troubled northwest region near the Taliban-stronghold tribal areas, since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in Pakistan. Militant groups have vowed to avenge his killing.
Last week, a double suicide bombing killed about 80 people, most of them paramilitary recruits, in Charsadda near Peshawar. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.
